Having the will and desire to live is primary and essential to avoiding premature death, be it by accident, sickness or any other method. The desired life that I am talking about here is not the normal day to day living that most people do. I am talking about living an extraordinary life full of passion such that you look forward to and are happy to wake up to every single morning.

Many are unhappy with their lives yet instead of doing something about it they settle for a life of stagnant resignation. As a result, they get what they settle for and create their own demise one way or another. Those whom I have seen reverse their sickness cultivated their will to live and became hungry for life. Their illness was a wake-up call and they believe it was one of the best things that could have ever happened to them. They accepted and took full responsibility for their situations, and from that moment on they became alive. They became greedy and egocentric in a positive sense. They became hungry and famished for life and because of this they were able to transform their situation and avoid premature death by illness. If you want to become healthy, you must first and foremost cultivate the will and desire to live life in a way that you have never done so before. It will not always be easy. It will not always be comfortable and it will not always look the way you imagined. But that is the nature of life itself.

In the future you might eventually satisfy this hunger for life and become full again. At that time you may again become sick and you may die. That will be up to you.

2. Be flexible and willing to change anything and everything in your life, if necessary

Many would rather die then change their life and that is exactly what happens to them. But those who avoid an early death and live longer are those who are willing to change anything in their life including the food they eat, where they live, the relationships they are in, and the beliefs that they hold.

Life and aliveness can be defined in many ways and one them is the ability to respond and adapt to the environment, in other words, be flexible. If you lose that flexibility then you are doomed.

3. Develop your sensitivity and respect for the environment. Be aware how you respond to it.

The natural environment creates your food and you. Pay attention to it, accept it fully, take care of it and nurture it. If you don’t, it will destroy you. What you eat, drink and otherwise take into your body is how you interact with the environment. What happens to you when you eat one type of food versus another? What if you changed the water you drink? What if you changed where you live? How does your body respond? Only you can know this for certain, not your doctor or other professional. Not even those close to you. By becoming aware and begin paying attention to this you will know when to make the necessary changes in your life that lead you to either sickness or health.

On a larger scale, because of humanity’s insensitivity and lack of concern for the environment, our agriculture and our food, we have made the Earth toxic and many plant and animal species are becoming extinct and we have made countless others, including ourselves, sick. If we continue in this way and do not develop our sensitivity and respond, adapt and take care of our environment then we will naturally perish.

4. Be willing to eat anything and be willing to prepare your own food

Sickness is not an enemy but is only the bodies natural attempt to discharge excess and regain a dynamic harmony with the environment. In other words, if you didn’t get sick you would already be dead. Our food, everything we ingest,(and expel) is how we interact and create harmony with the environment. The principal way most people get sick is by over exercising their freedom; abusing their bodies through eating, drinking and doing other things excessively. Some may be able to get rid of symptoms through medical treatments but unless the source is addressed, which is what they have been eating, drinking and doing, then they will never get rid of their problems. In general, most people in developed nations eat too much animal food and therefore feel better when they switch to a plant based diet. But there are no specific rules. Some, who may have avoided eating meat their whole life, may need to eat some to feel better, while those who ate meat everyday may need to stop it completely for the rest of their lives. It depends on the individual, which is why you, who are sick and wish to get well, must be willing to eat anything.

You also must be willing to prepare and be responsible for your own food. Ultimately, only you know what you need most. No one will be able to figure that out for you. If they did then you would owe them your life. The wealthy, who rely solely on the best chefs and best restaurants in the world, become slaves of their own doing and will never find true health and freedom. Likewise, the poor who subsist solely on processed pre-cooked foods, like junk foods and soda, and inexpensive take-out meals also become slaves to the food industry and prisoners of their own doing. Essentially, what must be done is to establish or re-establish a direct connection to your food and to minimize your reliance upon others for this. Study food, learn as much as you can and experiment until you master it. Become a master of your own food and you will become a master of your own destiny. Until then, you will remain a slave to those who control your food.

5. Be honest with yourself and everyone else, all the time. Constantly review and monitor your own situation.

If you ignore your bodies warning signals and pretend they don’t exist, then you will not get better. If you aren’t honest with yourself and don’t confront and deal with your own issues, then there is no hope. If you don’t listen to your loved ones and address their concerns then there is no purpose to your life. If you aren’t honest with and don’t serve humanity then your life has no value. Being truthful, no matter how painful, with ourselves, our world and reality, allows us to know ourselves and monitor our progress through life. Knowing who we are, where we are and what progress we have made is critical to exercising our freedom to transform our health. A useful way to gauge one’s level of honesty is to look at how large our sense of humor is and if we are able laugh at our own folly.

6. Be grateful to all, especially your difficulties

Without sickness we would not know health. Without the possibility of a premature death we could not appreciate life. Without our health we could not abuse it and become sick and so on. Whether we feel sick or feel healthy the experience of life is a gift to be cherished and be grateful for. This gratitude is not mandatory but is a choice for each of us to make. We can choose to be grateful and to appreciate every moment in life, or we can choose to be ungrateful, feel victimized and blame everyone and everything for our problems. Choosing gratitude makes us responsible which, in turn, give us the freedom to change our destiny. You can be grateful, or you can be ungrateful. It is your choice. If you choose not to be grateful then you are also choosing to give up your freedom. So choose wisely.

7. Choose and actively pursue a goal and dream that benefits everyone

What is your life about? What do you dream of being and doing? What do you wish to accomplish in this life? What do you wish to do this year, tomorrow, or even in the next moment? Regardless of the state of our bodies and our health, life is about dreams and having the passion to make them come true. The most important aspect of becoming and staying healthy is to know why you are doing so. What you dream and wish to accomplish is the “why”. You can choose to do anything you want. If you wish to be a mean and hateful person and make people unhappy then you will be miserable and your life will be cut short, if not by yourself then by others. If you choose to serve others and make them happy then you will be happy regardless of the state your body. Everyone who recovered from a terminal illness with macrobiotics, had a dream and vision for what they wanted to do with their lives. They all lived long enough to achieve those dreams. The greater your dream is then the more your body becomes only a vehicle to achieve that dream. If your dream is great then it will continue long after your body has died. That is true health.

To see, hear or read stories of people who have transformed their sickness into health as well for more information and resources then read this post by clicking here.